Francis

Francis - A very unique male name

Francis appeared on the charts for the first time in 1910 on position #36. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Francis and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Francis? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Francis. The baby boy name Francis was given to 731 baby boys in 2025, ranking #422 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 2,006 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Francis peaked in popularity 111 years ago in 1915 on position 29.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Francis, 1-5?

Francis is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Francis is currently topping the baby name charts in Rhode Island at position #166 - and is the least popular in Florida at position #895.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Francis is where you live.

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Francis origin and meaning

Latin

From Latin Franciscus, 'Frenchman' — literally 'a Frank', later associated with Saint Francis of Assisi

Francis was a top name in the early 1900s, peaking in 1918, and then declined for a century. It has ticked up recently to #422, aided by Pope Francis, whose papacy ran from 2013 to 2025.

Attested etymology

Francis is a 7 letter name with 2 syllables.

To see famous people named Francis, pop culture references for the name Francis and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Francis

We've found the following names that sound similar to Francis, sorted by popularity.

Frank / Francisco / Franklin / Frankie / Franco / Francesco / Franklyn / Fransisco / Frances / Franky /

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Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Francis

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Francis a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Francis?

2 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

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Pronunciation

FRAN-sis · /ˈfrænsɪs/

Around the world

• Francesco (Italian) — Italian form
• Francisco (Spanish) — Spanish form
• François (French) — French form
• Franz (German) — German form

Spellings and nicknames

• Frances — Spelling now used mainly for girls

Nicknames: FrankFrankieFran

Famous bearers

• Saint Francis of Assisi — Founder of the Franciscan order (1181/82–1226) Historical
• Pope Francis — Head of the Catholic Church 2013–2025 (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, took Francis as his papal name) (1936–2025) Contemporary
• Francis Ford Coppola — Film director of The Godfather (b. 1939) Contemporary

Style

ClassicInternationalBiblical

Why parents choose it

It carries saintly, literary, and papal weight in a gentle two syllables, with Frankie as a fresh nickname.

Worth knowing

• The Francis/Frances spelling split maps to gender in most minds, so boys named Francis will see their name spelled Frances.